The Latest Update To The Motorola Moto 360 Adds Major Improvements To Animation Lag

Motorola's first foray into the smartwatch market - the Moto 360 - has only been available to buy in the US since September, but already the US company is hard at work fixing and updating its wearable device. The latest update has dramatically improved the animation lag that some users having been experiencing since the launch of the smartwatch, which runs on Android Wear (Google's operating system for wearable device - the equivalent to Android on smartphones). That's not to say that the problem with the animations has been fixed completely, but reports suggest it is markedly better.

The improvement to the animation comes as part of the Android Wear 4.4W.2 update. As part of this update, Motorola has also promised better battery life from a feature called Smart Battery where the Moto 360 smartwatch automatically turns off ambient mode when the battery life gets down to 15%. Other updates include more frequent automatic time syncing with your phone (those few minutes are important), the ability to adjust the lighting of a room the smartwatch is in, and a feature that allows you to keep notifications in the background instead of on the screen so you can use the watch as, well, a watch. There have also been a number of bug fixes, although exactly what they are Motorola doesn't specify.

Motorola is also working on enhancements that will allow you to connect Bluetooth headsets to the smartwatch. The company will roll out the update in phases so if you're lucky enough to have already got your hands on the Moto 360, keep an eye out for a notification on the watch and make sure you have at least 80% battery left so you can download it. And if you're based in the UK and starting to get really envious of all those people across the pond with their cool smartwatches, there is good news for you. Amazon has started taking pre orders of the Moto 360 for a price of £249 (although the RRP is marked as £199.99 on the product page), along with free delivery. The website says that the item is due to be released on 1 November, although the caveat underneath is that this is subject to change.